“Why does it always have to be aboutyourclub?”
“Knox’s clubandourbrother,” Cross sneered.
Cleo wasn’t sure where her anger stemmed from or where she got the courage, but she finally said what so many had ignored for so long.
“He was my brother first!” she blurted.
She flattened her lips and drew in a breath. The last thing Cleo wanted was to get into a shouting match. Knox was important to all of them. But everyone should recognize that. Not just her.
Ace lifted the envelope. “When did she start writing?”
“Six months after Knox died.”
“Over a year?” Cross’s question came out sounding more like an accusation.
Cleo nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ace asked.
“I didn’t think I needed to. I mean, I had no idea he was an organ donor until I was called into the hospital’s office to fill out the paperwork as his next of kin. He never mentioned it to me.” She scanned the men. “Did any of you know?” She was asking all of them, but hyper focused on Cross. If he’d told anyone, even in confidence, it would’ve been the VP.
Cross turned to the kitchen, dragging his hand down his jaw. It was her guess Knox hadn’t shared.
“I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret.” Cleo shrugged. “After he died, no one talked about him.”
Cleo noticed Cross drop his chin to his chest, but he remained silent. Knox was the first person she’d lost that meant anything to her. She’d never been exposed to death and thought not bringing him up was how most people dealt with grief. So, it was how she did.
Ace waved the letter in his hand. “And her?”
Cleo tightened her hold on Wraith’s leg and scooted closer. His hand came over her back, caressing her in a circular motion.
“When they told me about the organ donation, they asked if I was open to being contacted by the recipient. It was their choice whether they reached out. If she hadn’t, I would’ve never known. I said yes.” Cleo swallowed the knot in her throat. That wouldn’t be enough for Ace, Cross, and even Wraith. They’d want everything. So, she gave it to them. “A little over a year ago” —She pointed to the envelope— “Addison reached out to me. She sent a letter explaining who she was and how she’d received Knox’sheart.” Her eyes welled, and her chest tightened remembering reading those words. It was as if not all of him was gone. There was a part, his heart, that lived on.
“What did she want?” Cross asked with a venomous edge.
“Nothing, except…” A tear ran down her cheek. “She asked if I could tell her about Knox. She didn’t force me, and she said a few times that if I ever wanted to stop contact, I could, and she wouldn’t bother me.”
“What did you tell her?” Wraith asked.
“About our childhood and everything I could remember about Knox when he was young. I don’t have a lot of memories, but she seemed interested in what I had to say. I told her about how he loved riding his motorcycle and the one he was rebuilding when he died.”
“You tell her about the club?” Wraith asked.
Cleo bit her lip, nodding. She’d shared with Addison but was careful with her words. She knew Killcreek wouldn’t approve of her sharing anything about them.
“What did you say?”
“Just that he loved being a part of the MC, and how he once told me he’d never felt like he had a home until he found the club.”
The room was drowned in silence. It was short lived.
“You tell her thenameof our club?” Cross asked.
Shit!
“Cleo,” Ace warned, narrowing his gaze.
“Yes,” she whispered.
